# Phi E Delta HMA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2000, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658 "2000-03-14T23:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2000, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/1 "2000-03-15T06:05:00Z")
Please excuse the lack of Greek letters. I don’t know my keyboard that well. One of the cars in the parking lot had this bumper sticker: Phi E Delta HMA It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law. I’m guessing it’s some sort of physical law, like gravity or relativity, but I’ve never seen it before. Can anyone clue me in? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2000, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/2 "2000-03-14T23:45:00Z")
Well, It would help if you distinguished between the Greek Letters and the standard ones. Are you familiar with the full Greek alphabet? Did it read: Phi Epsilon Delta - Eta Mu Alpha, or Phi Sigma Delta - H.M.A., or some other grouping and spacing? Are we talking all capitals like a Fraternity? Or a mathmatical formula? More information is needed. To my knowledge there is no Frat named Phi Epsilon Delta. You’l have to give me more to work with. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/3 "2000-03-16T15:10:00Z")
Omni, I wish i knew how to type Greek letters, but I’m at a loss. The bumper sticker I saw looked something like this: OEV HMA It’s not just a good idea. It’s the law. The O was the Greek letter Phi (an “O” with a horizontal bar floating in the middle of the letter). The V was actually (now that I recall my Greek alphabet better) Lambda (an inverted V). This is really bugging me, so whatever help you can give would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/4 "2000-03-16T16:57:00Z")
No, the letter ‘O’ with a horizontal bar in the center is “theta”. It might be the word ‘thelima’? Biblical type folks, any ideas? Will check my Gr\>Eng dictionary when I get home tonight. * * * Cave Diem! Carpe Canem! ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/5 "2000-03-16T17:48:00Z")
_runs back in, clutching a piece of paper and waving it wildly about_ IgotitIgotitIgotit!!! Just threw ‘thelima’ into Google and got this handy little page: [http://organisationen.freepage.de/credobox/vateruns.htm](http://organisationen.freepage.de/credobox/vateruns.htm) which is the “Our Father” in several different languages. In the Greek version, we get this line: > [@](#): > > genithito to **thelima** su which translates as “Thy will be done.” So the bumper sticker you saw on the car reads as follows: “The Will of God - it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.” eh… if you’re into that kind of thing, I guess. * * * Cave Diem! Carpe Canem! ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phi-e-delta-hma/8658/6 "2000-03-17T06:27:00Z")
Oh. And here I thought it was cool physics thing. Instead it’s just some fundie take-off of the original relativity joke. Well, thanks for the effort, guys. I do appreciate it.